Chiang
Mai
Information
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When arriving
in Thailand ask for free copies of Thaiways magazine and Thaiways
maps from the information counter at airports or hotels.
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Chiang Mai is Thailand's major centre for quality handicrafts. Hundreds
of shops all over Chiang Mai sell hilltribe and Northern Thai handicrafts.
Besides, the town is surrounded by small cottage factories and workshops
where visitors can watch artisans at work. Made with skilful workmanship,
a Chiang Mai handicraft can either serve as a valuable gift or be kept
as a beautiful tangible memento of your visit.
Related Link : VAT Refund for Tourists
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Chiang Mai is famous for silk and other
hand-woven textiles, especially of the hilltribes. Sankamphaeng Road
is one of the best places where you can find a wide selection of silk
and fabrics, ready-made and custom-made clothes. |
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At Bo Sang, the umbrella village on Sankamphaeng
Road, you'll find plenty of hand-painted umbrellas made of delicate
Sa paper (produced from the bark of the mulberry tree). Fans
and other handmade products of Sa paper are also available in various
designs and at reasonable prices. |
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Woodcarving is a traditional northern
Thai art which can be seen on many temple buildings. In recent years,
however, woodcarving has increasingly become an important part of
furniture, tableware, decorative items and crafted souvenirs.
A very popular item for tourists is carved elephants. |
Among the various areas making woodcarving and furniture, the two most notable
ones are Sankamphaeng
and Thawai
villages.
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This beautiful art is made by decorating
wooden or bamboo items with layers of black lacquer strikingly adorned
with golden designs. Factories and shops can be found along Sankamphaeng
and Chang Khlan roads. |
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Celadon, the unique Thai
ceramic in soft green and blue tone, is produced abundantly here
in many forms, including dinner sets, lamp bases and decorative
items. Among several operation areas, Hang Dong county is a major
one with a large number of factories. |
Chiang Mai is one of the places where the finest Thai silverware is produced.
Traditional skills of the silversmiths have been passed along for centuries.Silver
shops are concentrated on Wua Lai Road, but some can also be found in Sankamphaeng
and elsewhere.
| Sa
(Mulberry) Paper Products |
 Chiang
Mai is well known for the variety of mulberry (Sa) paper products
for example cards, notebooks, stationery, boxes, bags, photo frames,
lanterns, etc.There are various colours with different creative
designs of mulberry paper sheets. It is handmade natural fiber that
sometimes flowers and natural leaves are used for decoration. Sa
paper sheets can be used as a gift-wrapping paper and for many decorative
purposes. |
| Hilltribe
& Villager Crafts |
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The hilltribe and local people produce beautiful traditional
items such as silver ornaments, colourful embroidery, hand-woven textiles
and other handicrafts made of bamboo and other natural materials.
These handmade products are not only of high quality but also of unique
designs. |
Shops selling handicrafts and gifts are scattered all over the town.
There are two main markets which have a wide selection of Northern folk
crafts, viz. Warorot Market at the eastern end of Chang Moi Road and the
Night Bazaar on and off Chang Khlan Road. The latter has long been a must-visit
for all visitors to Chiang Mai.
Warorot market, locally called Kad Luang, is Chiang Mai's first shopping
centre in Chinatown and a place to see real Chiang Mai. The most famous
souvenir here is northern style food. Kaeb mu (crispy pig skin),
mu yo (traditional Thai pork sausage), and nam phrik num
(traditional northern style green chilly paste). Beyond the market on Praisani
Road are dozens of stalls where hilltribe people sell various kinds of tribal
handicrafts and tropical fresh fruits and flowers from the highland farms.
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Comprising numerous stalls and shops stretching along
a long section of Chang Khlan Road, this big famous night market offers
many good buys including hilltribe crafts, hand-woven fabrics, clothes,
silver jewellery, antiques, lacquerware, woodcarvings, pottery, basketry,
and other local items. Due to the keen competition, buyers can easily
make a good bargain here. |
| Wualai
Walking Street (Saturday Market) |
The Wualai community has been so far known for its fine silver and lacquer
wares. On Saturday evenings, the Wualai Street is closed to traffic making
it an open-air showcase for the area's famous handicrafts. It is therefore
called Saturday Market. Don't miss a chance to shop for authentic northern
silver and lacquer wares as well as other unique handicrafts at the venue.
You are recommended to go there from around 4 p.m. on, when the weather
is cooling down and most vendors have already set up shops. The market runs
to 10 p.m.
| Tha
Pae Walking Street (Sunday Market) |
Tha Pae Walking Street runs on Sundays at Tha Phae Gate and along Ratchadamnoen
Road. It hence, in the same way as Wualai Walking Street is called Saturday
Market, is known as Sunday Market. The Sunday Market features shopping at
reasonable prices for various kinds of goods, ranging from local handicraft
products to portrait paintings. Besides, local food and music are also key
attractions to both locals and tourists. Expect to find activities of all
kinds alongside special theme events for young and old alike. This pedestrian
market starts around 4 p.m. and runs to 10 p.m.
Y.
Development Cooperation (YC)
Located in Soi Mengrairasmi, Sermsuk Road
The YMCA of Chiang Mai established the Y. Development Cooperation in 1986
to market and sell handicrafts and natural products, which are produced
by the poor rural people in cottage-industry fashion. The YC offers a wide
range of products such as ceramics, Christmas decorations, candle holders,
fabrics, lanterns, jewelry, Sa paper products, wooden products, silver plate
products and many others.
Neramit
Custom Tailoring
Located on Ratchawong
Road
 Neramit
Custom Tailoring have provided custom tailoring services to people from
all over the world, either when they are visiting Chiang Mai or by mail
order to their home. A full range of International styles are available
and if you have a particular favourite, and can send us a picture by e-mail,
with your measurements, we can make the style for you and forward your
selection to you by mail.
This is the most famous centre of handicrafts in Chiang Mai. On both sides
of Sankamphaeng Road, there are showrooms and factories where you can view
the production of many traditional crafts, as well as purchase them. They
are silk, cotton, lacquerware, ceramics, silverware, leatherware, umbrellas,
woodcarvings and antiques.
| Hang
Dong - Chom Thong - Hot |
The road to Hang Dong - Chom Thong - Hot is filled with many fine places
selling intricate handcrafted woodcarvings, wooden furniture, porcelain
and other handicrafts. Ban
Thawai wood carving village is one of the well-known attractions on
this route.
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